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Inoperable Pancreatic Cancer: What treatment options are there?
Pancreatic Cancer | Last Active: Sep 10, 2022 | Replies (19)Comment receiving replies
I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer aI t the end of December. I'm being treated with chemotherapy and the tumor has shrunk. I was told that I'm not a candidate for the whipple procedure as the tumor is touching some veins and a major artery, The doctors here say that it's too dangerous to surgically remove the tumor. Has anyone had a similar diagnosis and what was done?
Replies to "I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer aI t the end of December. I'm being treated with..."
If the medical team you saw said they can't perform the surgery, believe them but get a second opinion. My wife had extensive arterial involvement which was significantly reduced after chemo and radiation and then had surgery at Johns Hopkins, not the local surgeon who was incapable of the surgery.
Hi @jcf83036, great to hear that chemo has shrunk the tumor. Not everyone is a candidate for Whipple surgery for pancreatic cancer. But I have to agree with @kyaeger and @beachdog about getting a second opinion.
Here's a related discussion with more information
- Getting a second opinion on treatment from Mayo https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/getting-a-second-opinion-on-treatment-from-mayo/
Are you being treated at a major cancer center?
Thank you Coleen Young. I am being treated at Weill Cornell/NY Presbyterian in New York. When the treatment is finished, I will request a second opinion from Menorial Sloan Kettering here in New York.
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Seek another opinion. I did at Mayo Clinic Rochester, Mn with Dr. Mark Truty. He did my operation when University of Michigan aborted my surgery because of vein involvement.
I’m so glad I sought another opinion.